28 September 2005

For many project and product teams, DWF is the format of choice. DWF enables organizations to connect critical design information into product, project, and asset workflows without compromising the accuracy, security, and intent of the original design idea. DWF is:

Complete

DWF is an as-plotted view of a DWG. There's no need for Object Enablers, x-refs, special fonts, etc. As such, many reprography shops accept DWF files directly like plot files.

DWF can contain an entire project's worth of drawings, especially easy when using AutoCAD 2006 to publish a single DWF from a collection or sheet set of DWG files.

DWF does not depend on which versions of AutoCAD may be in use across team members. The free Autodesk DWF Viewer reads all DWF files past and present. The free Autodesk DWF Viewer is typically a smaller download and footprint than DWG viewers.

DWF files provide a basis for archiving legacy data. The DWF files capture original "as printed" record documents that anyone can access easily – now and in the future.

DWF is a smaller, more compressed file format than native DWG files, making them easier to transmit over the web. This is particularly pertinent when attaching files through email.

DWF files can be generated from a variety of Autodesk products as well as non-Autodesk products using the free Autodesk DWF Writer. This neutral format allows design data that spans applications to be viewed with a single viewer.

Secure

DWF is a read-only, secure file format.

AutoCAD users decide what to include/exclude from a DWF.

When sharing a DWG, users are sharing their true intellectual property.

Open

DWF is an open file format.

Autodesk publishes the DWF specification and makes available C++ libraries for any developer who wants to build applications around the DWF format.

DWF is based on other industry standards such as ZIP/ZLIB, XML, JPG/PNG/bitonal-G4-Tiff, and HSF.

Comparisons between DWG and DWF aside, with DWF, users can do more than just view the design data. They can make it more intelligent (which won't happen with a DWG in a viewer as easily). Users can turn data into a living breathing data warehouse that integrates with other enterprise systems. One of our users shared his feedback:

As an example, at a major a power utility I used to do contract work for, we turned all of their piping isometrics intro DWF files for distribution on their intranet. Any of the engineers could browse to a particular power plant, browse to which powerhouse unit that were working on, browse to the piping system, call up all the DWF drawings, see the piping, and click on any pipe, fitting, valve, etc. and immediately be brought to a history of its past testing results, replacement history, testing procedures, etc. I was told that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it was one of the best run documentation systems they had seen from any of the utilities they worked with.

DWF opens up a world of possibilities not easily accomplished before. For 23 years, Autodesk has invested in people, software, and technology to help customers realize their ideas to compete and win. DWF is another technology molded in that tradition.

Note: Portions of this blog article were contributed by members from the http://myfeedback.autodesk.com private discussion groups. Get involved in feedback and beta testing of Autodesk products, sign up at http://myfeedback.autodesk.com. Participation will require that you agree to a non-disclosure beta site agreement due to the confidential discussion topics.

22 September 2005

When we release a new standalone batch DWG conversion tool we will also be releasing a free Autodesk DWG file viewer. The dates are delayed from a mentioned September 21st date. Autodesk is committed to delivering the highest quality products for our customers so please stay tuned for a future announcement about the products’ release.

I just noticed a new blog post by Lee on the Beyond the UI blog that the AutoCAD 2006 and AutoCAD LT 2006 Bible is now available for purchase. With over 1200 pages there is surely something in there from beginners to the power AutoCAD users.

Congratulations to Ellen and to her great technical editor Lee Ambrosius!

Have you wondered about the gains in productivity you or your office might see when upgrading from AutoCAD 2002 to AutoCAD 2006?

We asked an independent organization to test some AutoCAD users using AutoCAD and their productivity results comparing AutoCAD 2002 vs. AutoCAD 2006 on common tasks. An average AutoCAD 2006 was 29% faster at completing the tasks. The detailed results, details of testing, participants comments, and a return on investment "ROI" spreadsheet are available for download from this blog post until the paper is posted to www.autodesk.com/autocad-whitepapers.

21 September 2005

I recently asked AutoCAD Product Manager Eric Stover to sit down for a few minutes and just speak unscripted on where AutoCAD is going and how this occurs in his own words. I thought it would be a great idea to throw together a few videos. This video was created with no budget or film crew but instead with my home video camera and editing in the evening on my home machine when I had a few minutes. This is just a quick and casual glimpse from the perspective of an AutoCAD Team member. I have other team member videos I will post in the future.

Be sure to attend Eric's Industry Session at Autodesk University on Tuesday November 29th 2005 at 3:30PM to 4:30PM right before my class. Eric is a fun presenter and he will be showing some potential future AutoCAD ideas. Please do me a favor, in the middle of his presentation make a dog bark, a chicken crow, or cow moo sound to throw him off.

You can also attend my AU session "Between the Lines" Tuesday the 29th of November 2005 from 5:00PM to 6:30PM. This session will be perfect for those with 5 minute or less attention spans, what is beta testing and how to get in beta testing of Autodesk products, how to get feedback direct to Autodesk and be involved in a products future, see glimpses of the possible future for AutoCAD and DWF, appreciate poorly delivered jokes, and also a good old questions and answers section. The barking noises will not throw me off but would be encouraged. We could also arrange some after class fun for those interested.

19 September 2005

If you use Benjamin Moore & Co paint for your projects and use AutoCAD 2004 or later, you can now download the free Benjamin Moore Color Book files for AutoCAD. These files were created by Benjamin Moore and define their paint colors. You can match your colors in AutoCAD and key them to a specific Benjamin Moore paint.

15 September 2005

There will be 4 new AutoCAD 2006 webcasts starting September 27 2005. All are free and are 30 minutes in length.

Taking a Tour of AutoCAD 2006 SoftwareTuesday, September 27, 2005 | 10:00 a.m. PDT (1:00 p.m. EDT)Learn how to use the enhanced functionality of AutoCAD 2006 software to get more done in significantly less time. In just 30 minutes, you'll see all the cool new features of the current release.

Migrating Menus and Customizing the AutoCAD 2006 User InterfaceThursday, September 29, 2005 | 10:00 a.m. PDT (1:00 p.m. EDT)See how simple it is to import your AutoCAD MNU files into AutoCAD 2006. You'll also be shown how to easily customize your user interface with the new XML-based menu format.

Creating Dynamic Blocks in AutoCAD 2006Tuesday, October 11, 2005 | 10:00 a.m. PDT (1:00 p.m. EDT)Get the scoop on this powerful new Dynamic Block functionality! See how you can reduce the size of your block libraries, edit block instances with minimal effort, and help ensure standards compliance.

Working with Tables in AutoCAD 2006Thursday, October 13, 2005 | 10:00 a.m. PDT (1:00 p.m. EDT)Learn how to create and edit AutoCAD tables from block attribute data, Excel spreadsheets, or from scratch, and discover the ease of performing common calculations in table cells or copying cell data between AutoCAD tables.

08 September 2005

One of the leading CAD Manager gurus and all around knowledgeable and nice person, Robert Green gave me a heads up on his 2005 CAD Manager Survey. The survey covers a wide range of CAD Manager related topics such as compensation, staffing, training, standards, and more. The survey will be live from today until September 24th, 2005. The the results will be printed in the November 2005 issue of Cadalyst magazine.

06 September 2005

* Offering technical resources, including specialized mapping developers, to the US Army Corps of Engineers.* Making available customized versions of our Crisis Command software to the National Search, Reconnaissance and Rescue mission for FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue Teams. * Senior employee is donating several weeks of sabbatical to volunteer for the Red Cross’ relief efforts in Louisiana.* Autodesk is matching all employees’ donations up to $1,000 to the specified non-profit relief organizations.

Katrina Product Support: 1 877-500-6974Technical Support for using Autodesk products for the Katrina rescue, relief, and recovery efforts.

01 September 2005

I have watched the non stop devastating video on the television for the past 2 days and can’t help but feel for those affected by the hurricane. This is a devastating event to the hundreds of thousands affected in one way or another. This will change the peoples lives forever and they need help. There is limited assistance we can do when we are a great distance from the affected regions, but we can donate or volunteer and that can make a difference.

Jimmy Bergmark has released a free utility to print DWF files from the Microsoft Windows Explorer. Congratulations to Jimmy for making his tool available for everyone. Jimmy is not only an AutoCAD power user but writes some great utilities and tools. The biggest mystery is when Jimmy actually gets sleep. He is located in Sweden and I can chat with him in email or instant messenger at anytime. Print DWF files from Windows Explorer